By Erik Eckholm
THE NEW YORK TIMES

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Woodrow Johnson was 15, and by the rules of the polygamous sect in which his family lived, he had a vice that could condemn it to hell: He liked to watch movies.

When his parents discovered his secret stash of DVDs, which included the “Die Hard” series and comedies, they burned them and gave him an ultimatum. Stop watching movies, they said, or leave the family and church for good.

Television and the Internet, considered wicked, were also banned, as were short-sleeve shirts — a sign of immodesty. Staring at girls was not allowed; neither was dating them. And so Woodrow made the wrenching decision to go. Ten months ago, with a seventh-grade education and a suitcase of clothes, he was thrown into an unfamiliar world that he had been taught to fear.

Over the past six years, hundreds of teenage boys have been expelled or have felt compelled to leave the polygamous settlement that straddles Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. (more. . .)

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